Legislation to Energize Boulder
Get Behind 2010 Legislation for Decarbonizing Colorado!

Boulder County residential property owners will be eligible to apply for a wide range of energy efficiency and renewable energy measures though the ClimateSmart Loan Program. Invest in improvements that will save energy, reduce your utility bills, increase home comfort and decrease greenhouse gas emissions.

Required homeowner workshops* are now scheduled to start March 15 and run through April.

Register for a workshop today!  Please visit crc-climatesmartloan.wildapricot.org or call 303-999-3820 x226 to register for a workshop.

*If you have already attended a workshop, you will not be required to attend another one.

Please note:

~While energy audits are not required for this program, they are *highly* recommended, call 303-999-3820×226 to sign up for an energy audit.

~The online application will be available on our website ClimateSmartLoanProgram.org in mid-April.

ClimateSmartLoanProgram.org

Monthly Green-n-Grub Series Demystifying the Credentialing Maintenance Program for LEED APs and Green Associates Register Today! Date: Wednesday, 10 March 2010 Time: 12:00-1:00p Location: Fort Collins Public Library 201 Peterson Street Fort Collins, CO 80524 Confused and frustrated by CMP? USGBC Colorado’s Director of Education will present the latest information regarding GBCI’s Credentialing Maintenance Program, and will describe USGBC Colorado’s plans to make CMP fulfillment easy, affordable, and (of course!) educational.  Please join us as we demystify the complicated world of credentialing maintenance. Jessica Pascoe joined USGBC Colorado six months ago as the new Director of Education.  She moved to Denver from Illinois where she previously served as Director of Sustainability for Lewis and Clark Community College in Godfrey.  While at Lewis and Clark, she helped form the Illinois Community College Sustainability Network (ICCSN).  Ms. Pascoe was previously the Education Director for The National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC) and was involved in the planning process for NGRREC’s LEED registered Confluence Field Station.  She also served as Ecology and Environment Gallery Leader at the St. Louis Science Center. Jessica received a bachelor’s degree in biology and environmental studies from Swarthmore College and is a member of the North American Association for Environmental Education.  She served four years on the Meeting of the Rivers Foundation Board, which assists the National Great Rivers Museum (operated by the US Army Corps of Engineers) in its presentation to the public of the cultural, historic, economic, environmental, and recreational features of great rivers watersheds. Cost: Free for Colorado Chapter members and students $5 non-members Click here to register. To become a member of the Colorado Chapter, go to http://www.usgbccolorado.org/membership/membership.html

Most notably, the revisions to BuildSmart now provide a prescriptive pathway alternative to the HERS rating performance pathway for homes up to 6,000 square feet.  For any addition or new construction projects where the total conditioned floor area is 6,000 square feet or greater, the performance pathway (HERS rating) must be used.  The prescriptive pathway applies to additions, remodels and new construction.   While the prescriptive pathway is intended to provide an alternative to a HERS rating, the energy performance requirements are designed to be as stringent as the HERS pathway.  The prescriptive pathway still requires that a HERS rater perform an insulation inspection and air infiltration / duct leakage testing as applicable.  In order to proceed under the Prescriptive Path Option (Chapter 11 Energy Efficiency, Section N1105.2.5.4), your project must meet the following requirements:

Maximum Glazing to Floor Area Ratio = 18%

Maximum Air Leakage = 5 ACH at 50 Pascals for New Construction and 7 ACH at 50 Pascals for additions and remodels

For Any New or Replaced Appliances = ENERGY STAR Labeled

Lighting Fixtures = 80% CFL or equivalent

Insulation Installation Standards = RESNET Grade I Standards

Furnaces and Boilers (additions/remodels only need to meet if replaced) = 92% AFUE with ECM Blower Motors

Water Heaters (additions/remodels only need to meet if replaced) = 82 EF

If your project does not meet these requirements, you must proceed under the Performance Path Option by having a HERS rating performed.  Projects designed and constructed to comply with the Prescriptive Option must also meet the requirements of Tables N1102.1 and  N1102.1.2 (below).  For new construction/additions with conditioned floor area between 3,000 to 6,000 square feet, there are mandatory requirements for photovoltaics (see Tables 3 and 4 of the Chapter 11 Energy Efficiency code) and a requirement that the gross wall to floor area ratio not exceed 1.0.  For any projects where the gross wall to floor area ratio is greater than 1.0, the Performance Path Option must be used.

Table Notes:

Mass Wall R-Value – the second number applies when more than half the insulation is on the interior

Basement Wall R-Value – the first R-value applies to continuous insulation, the second to framing cavity insulation; either insulation meets the requirement

Slab Edge R-Value and Depth – R-5 shall be added to the required slab edge R-values for heated slabs

Crawl Space Wall R-Value – the first R-value applies to continuous insulation, the second to framing cavity insulation; either insulation meets the requirement

Table Notes:

Mass Wall U-Factor – When more than half the insulation is on the interior, the mass wall U-factor shall be the same as the frame wall U-Factor.

To see all of the Chapter 11 Energy Efficiency revised code requirements, download it here.

In addition to HERS rating and consulting services, Populus Sustainable Design Consulting offers consulting, insulation inspections and field testing for compliance with Boulder County’s prescriptive pathway.  For a proposal, contact Laura at 303-325-7650 or learn more on the Populus website.

Populus is a full service sustainable design consulting firm that focuses on high performance, net-zero and near-net-zero custom residential and multi-family projects.  Populus guides architects and builders through the requirements of mandatory green building codes and optional green home certification programs, providing HERS rating, LEED for Homes Green Rater services and municipal energy code consulting.  In addition, Populus offers an Energy Code Workshop for architects and municipalities, as well as LEED for Homes training.  Visit Populus at www.popboulder.com.

To view the grant posting, visit the Governor’s Energy Office Grant Page.

WASHINGTON–In his State of the Union address, the President called on Congress to pass a program of incentives for homeowners who make energy efficiency investments in their homes. Today, while touring a training facility at Savannah Technical College, the President outlined more details of a new “HOMESTAR” program that would help create jobs by encouraging American families to invest in energy saving home improvements. Consistent with the President’s call for a HOMESTAR program, the Senate Democratic leadership included a proposal of this kind as part of their Jobs Agenda released on February 4, 2010. The President looks forward to continuing to work with Members of Congress, business, environmental and labor leaders to enact a HOMESTAR program into law.

Background on the HOMESTAR program

With unemployment in the construction sector near 25% and with substantial underutilized capacity in our manufacturing sector, the HOMESTAR program has the potential to jumpstart our economic recovery by boosting demand for energy efficiency products and installation services. For middle-class families, this program will help them save hundreds of dollars a year in energy costs while improving the comfort and value of their most important investment – their homes. In addition, the program would help reduce our economy’s dependence on oil and support the development of an energy efficiency services sector in our economy. Key components of the HOMESTAR Program include:

• Rebates delivered directly to consumers: Like the Cash for Clunkers program, consumers would be eligible for direct HOMESTAR rebates at the point of sale for a variety of energy-saving investments in their homes. A broad array of vendors, from small independent building material dealers, large national home improvement chains, energy efficiency installation professionals and utility energy efficiency programs (including rural utilities) would market the rebates, provide them directly to consumers and then be reimbursed by the federal government.
• $1,000 – $1,500 Silver Star Rebates: Consumers looking to have simple upgrades performed in their homes would be eligible for 50% rebates up to $1,000 – $1,500 for doing any of a straightforward set of upgrades, including: insulation, duct sealing, water heaters, HVAC units, windows, roofing and doors. Under Silver Star, consumers can chose a combination of upgrades for rebates up to a maximum of $3,000 per home. Rebates would be limited to the most energy efficient categories of upgrades—focusing on products made primarily in the United States and installed by certified contractors.
• $3000 Gold Star Rebates: Consumers interested in more comprehensive energy retrofits would be eligible for a $3,000 rebate for a whole home energy audit and subsequent retrofit tailored to achieve a 20% energy savings in their homes. Consumers could receive additional rebate amounts for energy savings in excess of 20%. Gold Star would build on existing whole home retrofit programs, like EPA’s successful Home Performance with Energy Star program.
• Oversight to Ensure Quality Installations: The program would require that contractors be certified to perform efficiency installations. Independent quality assurance providers would conduct field audits after work is completed to ensure proper installation so consumers receive energy savings from their upgrades. States would oversee the implementation of quality assurance to ensure that the program was moving the industry toward more robust standards and comprehensive energy retrofit practices.

• Support for financing: The program would include support to State and local governments to provide financing options for consumers seeking to make efficiency investments in their homes. This will help ensure that consumers can afford to make these investments.

The program will result in the creation of tens of thousands of jobs while achieving substantial reductions in energy use – the equivalent of the entire output of three coal-fired power plants each year. Consumers in the program are anticipated to save between $200 – $500 per year in energy costs, while improving the comfort and value of their homes.

Gov. Bill Ritter today announced that the Governor’s Energy Office (GEO) along with more than 50 statewide partners has been has been awarded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award for the second consecutive year.

Colorado’s program was selected for its success in supporting the construction of energy-efficient ENERGY STAR New Homes. These homes are typically 20 percent to 30 percent more efficient than standard homes, improving quality and comfort while reducing energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions.

“Congratulations to our many outstanding statewide partners and the GEO for this award,” Gov. Ritter said. “Energy efficiency is one of the most important components of Colorado’s New Energy Economy. Building new homes that save energy and money means jobs in the efficiency industry. It also bolsters our energy security and protects our environment and climate.”

The EPA has linked significant cost and pollution savings to its ENERGY STAR program. Last year alone Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR, saved $17 billion on their energy bills and reduced greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of 30 million vehicles.

In 2009, the GEO partnered with more than 50 community sponsors – including local governments, non-profits, utilities, real estate professionals, homebuilders, home energy raters – on the construction of ENERGY STAR qualifying new homes. The hard work of partnering organizations has made the program successful across Colorado.

“Chaffee County is really benefiting from its partnership in the ENERGY STAR program.  Due to the support from the Governor’s Energy Office many of our new homes are being built to ENERGY STAR standards,” said Kathryn Wadsworth, Chaffee County ENERGY STAR Coordinator. “Chaffee County is committed to energy efficiency and conservation efforts and the ENERGY STAR New Home program is helping us meet that goal.”

The work of GEO and its partners resulted in 2,350 new homes in Colorado earning the ENERGY STAR label in 2009, making for a record of nearly 33 percent market share of all new home construction – and up dramatically from 8 percent in 2006. The GEO also helped register more than 70 new Colorado ENERGY STAR New Homebuilders in 2009, pushing the total of qualified ENERGY STAR homebuilders to more than 356 in the state.

Other accomplishments the EPA considered in its ENERGY STAR award to the GEO and its Colorado partners:

• The GEO and partners presented more than 57 ENERGY STAR trainings to more than 1,880 Colorado building industry professionals.

• Highlights of Colorado’s efforts include grants from GEO totaling $248,500 for training, education and promotional efforts statewide.

• The program established 11 regional ENERGY STAR New Homes Programs in Colorado, supported by 54 local sponsors, including cities, counties, utilities and nonprofits.

“The GEO and its partners are leading the way in creating and implementing solutions to climate change through greater energy efficiency,” said Gina McCarthy, EPA Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation. “The Colorado program has helped its customers understand how they can help protect our environment while saving energy and money.”

The ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Awards are given to a variety of organizations to recognize their efforts to improve energy efficiency and reduce pollution, resulting in significant cost savings. Award winners are selected from more than 17,000 organizations that participate in the ENERGY STAR program.

For additional information, visit www.coloradoenergystarhomes.com/

This is a second notice of Proposed BuildSmart Revisions and a public hearing scheduled for 2 PM on March 2, 2010 with the Boulder County Commissioners to consider these revisions at the Boulder County Court House 3rd floor hearing room .  Public testimony will be taken at this hearing with a time limit of three minutes per speaker.

A draft of the  Proposed revisions are attached to this email and may also be found at www.BoulderCountyBuildSmart.org.  The staff  invites you  to review and comment on these proposed revisions, either by phone, 303-441-3930, email http://www.bouldercounty.org/lu/info_center/ask_the_building_official.htm, or in person at the Courthouse Annex, Southwest corner of Spruce and 13th Sts in downtown Boulder, prior to the public hearing, your comments will be forwarded to the Boulder County Commissioners.  You may also send comments directly to me [Doug Parker] at the contacts listed below.

Doug G. Parker

Sustainability Examiner

Boulder County

dgparker@BoulderCounty.org

720-564-2643

www.BoulderCountyBuildSmart.org